Rain hammered the shipping yard, washing blood into the puddles. The gunfire echoed like thunder, but in the chaos one sound rose above all.., Luca falling.
Enzo saw him hit the ground. "Boss!"
Luca's body collapsed into the mud, his gun slipping from his hand. His chest burned with fire, breath torn from his lungs. He tried to pull air in, but every breath rattled like broken glass. His vision blurred, the storm turning to shadows.
Not now.
Not here.
He tried to rise, but his body betrayed him.
Romano's laugh cut through the storm, cruel and sharp. "The king is down!"
His men cheered, voices carrying through the night.
"Finish him!" one of them shouted.
Enzo fired wildly, covering Luca's fallen form. "Get him up!" he screamed at the soldiers near him. Two men crawled through mud and bullets, dragging Luca by his arms.
Romano raised his hand, signaling. The gunfire slowed. His men obeyed, tightening the circle instead of killing.
"No," Romano called, his voice smooth with mockery. "Do not shoot. Let him bleed. Let him feel it. I want him awake when I take everything."
Back at the estate, Aria clutched her chest, gasping for breath. It felt as though her heart had been pierced, the pain raw and choking. She staggered, her hands trembling, her knees buckling beneath her.
"Mama!" Nico cried, grabbing her arm. "What's wrong?"
She couldn't answer. Words stuck in her throat. Her tears blurred the boys' faces. She knew. She didn't need the phone call or the news.
Luca was hurt. Dying.
Her hands shook as she grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself. "I can't… I can't just wait here," she whispered. "He needs me."
Matteo, pale and weak from his wound, sat in the chair by the door. He saw the look in her eyes and shook his head. "Aria… don't. Romano wants that. If you leave, he wins."
She met his gaze, her voice breaking. "And if I stay? Luca dies. My children lose their father. I lose everything."
Matteo tried to rise, but the pain dragged him back down. His face twisted with anger at his helplessness. "At least wait for news!"
But Aria was already shaking her head, her tears falling faster. "I can't. I feel him slipping away. I can't just wait and do nothing."
She looked at the twins, their small faces full of fear, their little hands clutching her. She kissed their heads and whispered, "Stay with Matteo. I'll bring him home."
Nico's eyes widened. "Mama, no..."
But she pulled free, her chest burning with a fire she had never felt before. Romano wanted her weak, but she would not break.
Not tonight.
Back at the yard, Enzo dragged Luca behind cover, his voice sharp and desperate. "Stay with me, boss! Stay awake!"
Luca's breathing was ragged, shallow. Blood spread across his chest, soaking his shirt, mixing with the rain. His lips moved, but the words barely came. "Aria… the boys…"
Enzo cursed, tearing off his jacket and pressing it to the wound. "Don't talk! Save your strength!"
Luca's eyes fluttered. His vision was slipping, fading to black at the edges.
Romano's voice rose again, closer now. He had climbed down from the containers, his men parting for him like shadows before a torch. He walked across the mud, slow and deliberate, every step mocking.
"Look at him," Romano said, his tone dripping with pleasure. "The great De Rossi. Broken. Bleeding. Helpless."
He crouched a few feet away, smirking. "Do you know what I'm going to do, Luca? I'm going to take your sons. I'll raise them as my own. And Aria…" His smile darkened. "She will come to me willingly. Because you'll be gone."
Luca's eyes snapped open at that. Rage flared through the pain. His voice was weak, but it carried enough venom to cut. "Touch them, and I'll drag you to hell myself."
Romano chuckled. "Brave words. But you'll be in the ground before the night ends."
He stood, snapping his fingers. "Bring them to me. I want him to watch his empire die."
His men began moving in, guns raised, surrounding the few De Rossi soldiers still alive. Enzo's jaw clenched. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and their boss was bleeding out.
It was the end.
Aria's car tore through the storm, headlights cutting through sheets of rain. Her hands gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Every mile closer, her chest ached more.
She didn't know how she would fight. She didn't know if she could save him.
But she couldn't sit still while Romano tried to destroy him.
Her heart pounded as she whispered into the dark, "Hold on, Luca. I'm coming."
The yard had gone silent except for the rain. Romano stood tall, his men tightening the noose around Luca's last soldiers. Enzo raised his gun, his teeth gritted. "We're not done yet."
Romano smirked. "Yes, you are."
He raised his hand.
The signal.
Gunfire erupted again.
Bullets screamed. Men fell.
Enzo fired until his gun clicked empty, then pulled a knife, slashing at anyone who came close. He wouldn't go down without tearing flesh.
But it wasn't enough.
A soldier stepped forward, aiming at Luca's head.
Time slowed.
Luca, weak and fading, forced his arm to move. His hand found the gun in the mud. His finger squeezed the trigger.
The bullet ripped through the soldier's throat.
Romano's eyes widened, fury twisting his face. "Kill him now!"
But before the final shots could fall, a sound cut through the storm.
A car engine.
Roaring.
Headlights blazed into the yard, blinding Romano's men. The screech of tires echoed as the vehicle smashed through the gates, metal flying.
The car spun to a stop, door slamming open.
Aria stepped out.
Her hair plastered to her face from the rain, her eyes blazing with fire, a gun clutched in her shaking hand.
Romano froze, shock flashing across his face.
Aria raised the weapon, her voice shaking but fierce. "Get away from him."
The yard went still.
Romano's smile returned, slow and wicked. "Ah. The queen arrives."